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Commissioner to check EDC books
By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN © St. Petersburg Times, published January 5, 2001 It isn't everything she asked for, but County Commissioner Diane Rowden will get to see some of the inner workings of the Economic Development Commission next week and will postpone her attempt to cancel the agency's contract. County Administrator Paul McIntosh on Thursday appointed Rowden as the county official to review the EDC's records. The county administrator can arrange such a review, as required under the EDC contract. McIntosh made the appointment after meeting with the EDC president and attorney Thursday afternoon to discuss Rowden's requests for information and proposed changes to the EDC contract. Rowden set up an appointment with EDC Treasurer Gus Guadagnino to review the EDC's expenses of public money next Friday. Last week, Rowden, an EDC critic, began asking for copies of monthly statements from all bank accounts belonging to the EDC since its inception four years ago, as well as copies of contracts with its personnel. She also requested detailed budgets, not just for public funds, but for the private money the EDC receives, too, dating back to the EDC's founding in 1996. Initially, the EDC responded that the requests were forwarded to the EDC board, which is receiving $331,000 from county taxpayers and about $115,000 in private money during the current budget year. Though Rowden will get access to the EDC records, she won't be able to see the private accounts, EDC officials said Thursday. "She will not get to look at that," EDC president Don Clifford said. She's fine with that, for now. "I'm still interested, but I'm taking one step at a time," she said. "They are taking the right step forward." Rowden had said she planned to ask the rest of the County Commission to cancel the EDC contract at Tuesday's board meeting. But on Thursday she said she plans to wait. "It's kind of hard to do when I'm right in the middle of getting information," she said. Also, a County Commission workshop about the EDC will be held Jan. 18. Rowden wants to learn, in detail, how the EDC has been spending public money, including the details of the salaries of its staff, which is paid with public money. The salaries and retirement packages are not detailed in public budgets, though. EDC officials will not release the salary of former executive director Rick Michael -- last reported receiving $72,100 in 1999 -- who left his post under pressure from the board late last month after months of controversy focused on his management style, his claims of accomplishments in the annual report and improper, closed EDC board meetings. The controversy led to talk of changing the EDC contract to make the public-private agency subject to the Florida open meetings and records laws. McIntosh said Thursday that he plans to recommend that the County Commission postpone those changes until a university study on Hernando's economic development is released this year. "We don't want to negotiate the contract on a piecemeal basis," he said. "It's better to wait for the study to be done and make sweeping changes in the whole structure."
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